Original Tunes Contest 04: Main Character Theme [AND THE WINNER IS...]

[hashel]

And it's REEEESUUUULTS TIIIIIME!

Total points:
Danilo Ciaffi - Caevyan 9+1
Hslesperance - Elementalist 8+1
Avaruussaha - Kindness 8+1
Birdnet - Reluctant Hero 2
Floflo79 - Main Character Theme 2
Soundsandstuff - Sir Honey Meloncholy 1+1

(the +1 is for the people who voted)

Honourable Mentions:
Birdnet - Reluctant Hero 3
Avaruussaha - Kindness 1

The WINNER is Danilo Ciaffi with his song "Caevyan" featuring Psamathes on vocals.
This is the 2nd victory for Danilo this year which makes him the solid leader of the championship!

Full championship here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10aj--uNGVIFxbSvBFr-n_iCTtRwwydUiAoTfArZ70P4/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks and congratulations to all the participants for all those nice entries

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After the 3 previous contests we know we are in a traditional fantasy world, the story starts in the small natural village of Siteyra and the unnamed Hero leaves his home to enter the woods...

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It's on a early morning, the cold from the night is still there, the sun is shyly piecing though the mist, the protagonist leaves his house, wearing a big cloak with a hood, we can't see his/her face so far.

He/she step in the woods. Everything is calm, wind softly blows through the leaves.
After following the water for a while you finally reach a small place where some men live.

Despite them being inhabitants of this forest, they are no hunters, no preys nor predators.
Death does not seem to belong this place.
These people spend their existence carving wood.

"As you shape the wood you shape yourself", they say.
The wrinkles on their faces resemble bark.

As they craft all sorts of things, you could tell they are infusing their soul in the wood.
there is a place where some sort of mannequins are stacked, waiting to take life.

(Credits to Danilo Ciaffi for most of the text)

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The theme of this month is to compose the musical theme of the main character that enters those woods.
You guys have complete freedom about the age, gender, profession, combat style, magic or not, kind of clothes/armour/weapon the character uses.

But i want to know all those informations with you entry please, and also his/her name and why this character goes to the forest to meet the woodmen

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Every music style is welcome, you can make 8bits musics, orchestral arrangements, live recordings, electronic music... As long as it fits the theme, everything is allowed !
To enter your song must be an original creation of your own made specifically for this contest.
You can upload your songs on youtube, soundcloud or any other place that allows the listening without having to download it.
Your song must be 1 minute long MINIMUM.

At the end of the month, during 2 or 3 days people will vote to elect the best entry (I'll explain the voting system when it will be time).

Here is the 2017 Original Tune Championship so far: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10aj--uNGVIFxbSvBFr-n_iCTtRwwydUiAoTfArZ70P4/edit?usp=sharing4

July Contest post: https://community.gametabs.net/t/original-tunes-contest-03-forest-results/1339

[floflo79]

Here's mine : https://soundcloud.com/florian-decros/main-character-theme-gametabs-contest

He's called Gregory, he's 14 years old, he's a woodman, he got a bow, no magic and he's dressed like one of those villagers in Skyrim. He goes to the forest because one of the magical spirits of the forest told him to do it.

[hslesperance]

My character is an emelental spellcaster, able to manipulate water, earth, fire, and air. He is a bounty hunter looking for wanted thieves hiding in the forest.

I used the melody from the second half of my Opening theme with the same instrument. I plan on using the first half's melody for the Overworld theme. Never realized 6/4 was considered an uncommon time sig. And hey, I actually didn't wait until the last day to submit an entry for once!

[Avaruussaha]

Finally got an idea that works, I'm on it quite late.

[Danilo_Ciaffi]

Not fully polished, yet here's my entry:

My main character is named Caevyan and he is the son of a human and an elf. Long white hair and black eyes with red iris are the mark of a love that should never have happened, and whose fruit was cursed.
For decades he faced evil and slayed monsters, in order be free from the curse of the half-blood, and finally be accepted amongst his ancestors.

He uses both magic and swords, as he is has a double nature of himself.

He enters the forest because, even though everything seems to be serene and peaceful, a foreign evil hides there, disguised as a wooden man.

Edit: I want to spend a word about theme construction. the main theme is presented in 4 different forms and they represent:
-Female vocals: he is first alone, a voice in the void
-Male choir: during his journey to break his curse, he will find out he's not alone. I picture a world where this curse is just an obsolete thing a new generation wants to get rid of, and he has friends who don't care.
-Horns: he is a hero (duh)
-Flute: There is some light notes to his personality, due to his half-blood status he is kind of sensitive towards injustice/inequality, but also he has some kindness inside. Possibly represent a happy ending.

[Avaruussaha]

Against all odds I managed to do this from start to finish within two days. This would be the second time I tabbed my own stuff from start to finish too, yay.

This character is someone who has to rely on other people to help her reclaim her rightful place at the head of an oppressed state. As her go-to tools she goes with her charms and spirit magic (whatever that is). She is very kind and compassionate, hopefully successfully expressed by the tune.

Edit: and to tie into the forest theme, my forest was a forest of witches, and the character has to risk it to save an ally with dem potions. Perhaps there's a witch character to be recruited in there too.

[soundsandstuff]

Hey guys, here is my entry:

Sir Honey Meloncholy is one of the main characters that accompanies Prince Buns along his journey to rescue Princess Hotdog. He is a soft spoken person of produce, but also has feelings for Princess Hotdog. He is an archer with incredible accuracy and stealth skills, and a great tactician on the battlefield!

I tried my hand at a bit of improvisation with the melody, I hope ya'll like!

[birdnet]

My (slightly late) entry is for a hero who has led a happy-go-lucky life until now, but now faces the need to go on a great adventure. However, even though he is anxious, he puts on a brave face as the people's hope and strides forward to save the world. No one needs to know that he's hopelessly unlucky and useless in battle. He'll figure it out!

[Danilo_Ciaffi]

So as it's time to vote, here's the playlist with all the entries!

[Danilo_Ciaffi]

soundsandstuff: The melody has a weird structure, I can see it working in an Adventure Time-like world! It could probably use some tighter playing and some care about guitar tone, but I also figure that probably you didn't have too much time

birdnet: The melody is clear and the piece is well structured, but for some reason it does not get me in touch with your character, I can't point out why

[3rd] Floflo79: It's a very fun piece, makes me think of a 90's anime op.

[2nd] hslesperance: Mitsuda strikes back. I like the vibe a lot, only complaint I have is that it's a bit short, but it fits really well with your setting

[1st] Avaruussaha: The piece fits the description very nicely, the melody is very distinct in the first part, but gets lost in the accompaniment a bit in the second. However it sounds very good and works really well as a character's theme

[soundsandstuff]

Here are my votes, good work by all the entrants!

Honorable Mentions -

birdnet - reluctant hero - I like peaceful vibe of this song, it makes me feel like the hero is in his house or village theme, restocking and gearing up for his journey. I like the humor in the narrative too, he may seem unlucky but as he levels up I'm sure he will be an integral part of the party! Cool percussion, with bouncy flute melody!

Avaruussaha - Kindness - Beautiful guitar playing, makes me picture a character that has a calm, peaceful vibe that she projects but has many a dimension to her personality; that he also possess great potential and skills, and has the power to use them all in the right situations as she gets stronger and relies less on her allies. I also enjoyed following the progression of the melody, very cool composition.

Third Place - floflo79 - Main Character Theme - Really cool Chiptune, it sounds like the opening of a new game, with all the voices coming together to form a rich sound. I like how it then transitions into an upbeat song with a cool melody, percussion. I really like that bass drop near the middle! Well done, it totally sounds like a videogame, and I can imagine the young woodsman hero as he wakes up and embarks on a journey with high energy!

Second Place - hslesperance - Elementalist - At the start, the chime instrument with the echoing effect makes me imagine the elemental hero using his water magic to cast an area-of-effect ice spell in an earthly cave setting. The wind/air instruments then come in along with the bass giving the song a fuller sound. Up to this point I think the time signature was the 6/4, and correct me if I'm wrong but at around 40 seconds does it change to 4/4? If it does I like the idea, for its creativity and exploration, which I think is fire. See what I did there.

First Place - Danilo Ciaffi - Caevyan - I really like the use of the vocals and different instruments, it makes me feel like the hero character makes an appearance out of the darkness of the world and his own personal background as an outcast to become the light that fights in the epic adventure. All the instruments which represents different pieces of his character come together as the song progresses in a kind of crescendo to bring the character and composition to a whole, very cool.

Good work by everyone, it was hard to place in any order! Thank you fellows for your feedbacks as well, I appreciate it in helping me improve!

[hslesperance]

floflo79 - Really fun and upbeat. Great melodies, sounds a bit more like an opening or town theme, though.

Danilo_Ciaffi - Pumped to fight some baddies across a vast landscape. Nicely structured, flutes are hard to hear, but this is still a WIP.

Avaruussaha - Lovely atmosphere. The subtle bell sounds are a nice touch. Wonderful guitar playing as usual.

soundsandstuff - Definitely some conflicting emotions. He is a warrior, but perhaps he might give up fighting for a stable life with the Princess.
And you were pretty much spot on with your take on my theme. The thumping sounds in the 4/4 section are the earth.

birdnet - Nicely written. I think you should have added some elements to express his inexperience. Maybe have some stumbling notes fall out of synch with the rhythm or accidental notes in the melody.

Honorable Mention - birdnet

3rd Place - soundsandstuff

2nd Place - Danilo_Ciaffi

1st Place - Avaruussaha

[Avaruussaha]

Florian Decros - Main Character Theme (GameTabs Contest)

• Young guy, enthusiasm is quite clear from the theme.
• Keeps the nice drive going from start to end.

hslesperance - Elementalist

• Airy~
• Some mystery in there, cool.
• Leaves the overall theme hanging / leaves something unresolved.

Danilo Ciaffi - Caevyan (WIP)

• With so much power (even with WIP) behind it, this sounds like a theme for a whole group or nationful of people.
• Or if toned town a bit, a particularly themed town theme? Actually, playing with this thought brought three themes from FF7 to my mind: Red XIII's Theme - Cosmo Canyon - Great Warrior. And this theme is what I'd suppose to hear as the third, most powerful variation, I guess?

soundsandstuff - GT - Original Tune Contest 4 - Character Theme - Sir Honey Meloncholy

• Sounds like a confident character, which is certainly a main character quality.
• Goes around the place a bit too much - would benefit from anchoring to something (a phrase that repeats, certain rhythm?)

albatrods - Reluctant Hero

• Very nice, I really enjoy whats going on in here.
• Perhaps missing something "defining", something that will in the future remind of the character.

Picks
3rd: Danilo Ciaffi - Caevyan, third place for the third variation. Enjoy the nonsense reasoning!
2nd: birdnet - Reluctant Hero, second place for a very enjoyable tune!
1st: hslesperance - Elementalist, the melody is haunting in my memory. For being the most character-themey tune (in my strange ears).

[hashel]

Here is my (very late) vote

• Honourable Mention: Birdnet - Reluctant Hero

• 3rd place: Hslesperance - Elementalist

• 2nd place: Avaruussaha - Kindness
• 1st place: Danilo Ciaffi - Caevyan

[hashel]

And it's REEEESUUUULTS TIIIIIME!

Total points:
Danilo Ciaffi - Caevyan 9+1
Hslesperance - Elementalist 8+1
Avaruussaha - Kindness 8+1
Birdnet - Reluctant Hero 2
Floflo79 - Main Character Theme 2
Soundsandstuff - Sir Honey Meloncholy 1+1

(the +1 is for the people who voted)

Honourable Mentions:
Birdnet - Reluctant Hero 3
Avaruussaha - Kindness 1

The WINNER is Danilo Ciaffi with his song "Caevyan" featuring Psamathes on vocals.
This is the 2nd victory for Danilo this year which makes him the solid leader of the championship!

Full championship here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10aj--uNGVIFxbSvBFr-n_iCTtRwwydUiAoTfArZ70P4/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks and congratulations to all the participants for all those nice entries